• Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Molluska • Class:Gastropoda • Sublcass:Herterobranchia • Family: Stylomatophora • Genus: Helix aspersa

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The largest land snail ever found was 15 inches long and weighed 2 pounds.

Snails' bodies produce a thick slime. Because of this slime, they can crawl across the edge of a razor and not get hurt. Some snails have been known to live up to 15 years. Snails are hermaphrodites which means that they have both male and female reproductive organs.

Snails usually travel in irregular paths, often traveling in a circle. Snails reply mainly on their sense of touch and smell when finding food because they have very poor eyesight. Snails cannot hear. Snails can retract one or both of their tentacles at a time. Because of the suction created by their slime, a snail can crawl upside down. Snails are nocturnal animals which means they are more active at night. Garden Snails mainly eat garden plants and vegetables, but they will also eat decaying plants and soil.

The fastest snails are the speckled garden snails which can move up to 55 yards per hour compared 23 inches per hour of most other land snails.

Garden snails hibernate during the winter and live on their stored fat.

Garden snails breathe with lungs. Garden snails evolved from sea snails about 600 million years ago.

Brown Garden Snail Edible Snail Wood Snail Giant Land Snail Tree Snail White-lipped Snail Banded Snail Helicaron Snail African land

snails

• An aquarium or large jar with a mesh wire lid or a plastic lid with holes in it.

• Dirt • Plants • Rocks • a few snails • Lettuce (enough to eat)

The garden snail is cooked and eaten as a delicacy called escargot May 24th is National Escargot Day • 1/2 c. butter 2 tbsp. dried parsley flakes 7 1/2 oz. can snails, drained 1 clove garlic, chopped finely Dash pepper Snail shells • Cream butter and seasonings in a small bowl. Place 1/4 teaspoon seasoned butter into each shell, top with the snail; fill to the rim with seasoned butter. Repeat for each shell. Place snails on shell (escargots) on glass platter. Microwave on Defrost for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes or until butter begins to bubble.